


A Lifetime's Hope

by lgbtimelord



Category: Legacies (TV 2018)
Genre: Angst, F/F, Fluff, Sort Of, based on it's a wonderful life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-09
Updated: 2020-01-09
Packaged: 2021-02-27 15:48:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,151
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22189684
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lgbtimelord/pseuds/lgbtimelord
Summary: “You have a choice now.” said Charlotte. They were back in her room, exactly like they’ve left it.“A choice?”“Yes. You’re in a state in which you’re not dead but you’re not really alive either.”“I have to choose between life and death?”She nodded. Hope thought of her family. Her father, waiting for her to make peace with herself. She thought of her mother and wondered if she had collected enough stories to tell her.
Relationships: Hope Mikaelson & Lizzie Saltzman, Hope Mikaelson/Lizzie Saltzman
Comments: 5
Kudos: 144





	A Lifetime's Hope

> _“Strange, isn’t it? Each man’s life touches so many other lives. When he isn’t around he leaves an awful hole, doesn’t he?”_
> 
> _-It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)_

It wasn’t unusual for Hope to wake up alone in her room. It was unusual, thought, that she had no idea when she had arrived there. She tried to think back but it was like her brain hit a black wall- she couldn’t remember anything past midday. Her first thought was that someone had taken away her memories, but she knew that kind of spell would have given her a headache and all the pain she could feel was coming from her chest.

It was an extreme pain all the way from her sternum to her right shoulder but when she sat awake in her bed and touched the space with her hands, nothing was there. No wounds. No bleeding. Just her clothes. She took her shirt off but found no signs of an injury, yet the pain felt like the worst injury she could have ever had.

She calmed her racing heart down and that was when she noticed the shirt in her hand and knew this- wherever she was- wasn’t real. It was one of her father’s old shirts. It was old and had small spots of red paint along its sleeve. Hope had always loved it growing up. It was soft and used yet it wasn’t torn. Her father’s perfume never seemed to fully go away and it always brought her a sense of comfort. It was one of the few things she lost on the fire and she always longed to paint in it again. Then she took notice of the rest the clothes lying on the feet of the bed: dark jeans and her mother’s old leather jacket. She slowly put them on and when she looked in the mirror she realized it was the outfit she had used so many times after her parents’ deaths. A small but significant armor she used when she missed them and needed to feel close to them. It had been long since she had used it, her father’s shirt was gone and her mother’s jackets had started to damage and she had stopped using it in fear she might lose it forever.

She looked around her room and found nothing out of the ordinary, it took her a few minutes to realize the sun was up yet she could not hear a single thing outside. Normally at this hour people chatting or yelling outside could be hear. The soft and heavy taps of foots against the floor. She looked through the window but didn’t find the usual groups studying under the sun nor the footballs players practicing.

And something in the back of her mind said, _“If I was hurt, Lizzie would be here.”_

She tried not to think too much about Lizzie but every time she did, she couldn’t really stop. After so many years disliking the blonde she couldn’t understand how she needed her so much after so little time of friendship.

“Nice to see you’re awake, we can start now.” A voice sounded behind her.

Hope turned around and found a girl, hands together in front of her, wearing light blue jeans and a greyish sweater, timidly smiling at her.

“Who are you? What’s happening?”

“Right,” she said awkwardly, “so, my name’s Charlotte.”

“Where am i?” Hope said, moving closer to her, eyes slightly yellow, “What have you done to me?”

“Calm down, please.” She said calmly, as if expecting her reaction. She put her hands up. “I’m an angel.”

“You’re an- yeah, ok, that makes sense.”

“Most people don’t take it so easily.” She said confused.

“I’ve seen weirder, if I’m honest.” She opened her mouth to continue but retracted herself.

“I’m using the face of someone that could bring you comfort- someone you could be comfortable talking to. I can change it to someone else if you want.”

“No, no. It’s fine. It’s just… am I- you know, dead?”

The angel chuckled, “No. Not yet, at least.” A pang of pain came through her and she took her hand to her chest. “Is the pain too much? Unfortunately, I can’t really make it disappear. Doing that would mean disconnecting you from your body but it’ll damper a bit with time.”

“I don’t understand. If I’m not dead then what’s going on?”

“You don’t remember yet? You’re so calm I assumed your memories had already come back.”

“What memories? Tell me!” She screamed at the angel’s uncertainty.

After a few moments, she slowly clapped her hands twice and a white light enveloped Hope.

She was at the school, the library specifically.

She turned to the side and saw Josie coming to her direction but instead of colliding with her, Josie went right through her. She looked down at herself and saw that the light just seemed to go right past her too. She was examining her hands when she heard Lizzie laugh. She found her in one of the tables and saw with surprise she was the person next to her. These were her memories. She watched curiously the way she- her memories self- was looking at Lizzie. There was an easy smile on her lips, almost proud that she’d been the one to make Lizzie laugh. She noticed her posture was relaxed, more relaxed than she thought she’d be. But what surprised her more were her eyes. They seemed to follow the blonde everywhere as she picked what seemed random books and put them on the table while loudly complaining about her dad.

 _Was this how she always looked at Lizzie?_ She asked herself. She knew, deep deep down, that her feelings for Lizzie were more than friendly but seeing this memory, she just looked down right in love.

Both she and her memory self were snapped out of their thoughts when Lizzie exclaimed. Hope took notice of the books on the table. _We must have been looking for one of the monsters._ Lizzie smiled and said the name of what she believed it was.

That didn’t seem like the right thing to do because suddenly all the lights in the room went out and what seemed like a shadow in the form of a man in battle armor came inside from the window. The one closest to Lizzie.

“Lizzie! Look out!” Hope screamed but the shadow had already thrown Lizzie through the room.

She saw herself try to move forward and grab the book they were reading but the shadow extended its hand free of a sword and sent Hope flying across the room, a few feet away from Lizzie. She took her hands and dragged her to behind one of the tables that had fallen down.

The shadow appeared in front of them and raised the hand carrying the sword at Lizzie. Without thinking Hope put herself in front of the blonde, shoving her backwards into the table. Hope knew she’d been stabbed when she saw the way the wind rushed out of her lungs and felt an intense pain in her chest and shoulder. Just as fast as it happened, the shadow was consumed by the bright light coming out of Lizzie’s hand. Once it was gone Hope fell down, barely breathing. Lizzie moving down with her.

“Hope, oh my god, please be okay…” she pleaded, her hands instantly moving to cover the spot on Hope’s chest where blood kept going out “Please, be okay.”

Hope tried to talk. Tell Lizzie it was okay. That it wasn’t her fault. But she couldn’t, the pain was strong enough to keep her from talking. And as soon as the pain was there, it was starting to become a dull ache all around her body. She was tired. Logically, she knew it was because of the blood loose and she should stay awake. But she was tired and wanted to sleep.

“Stay awake, okay? Someone’s coming. Just keep your eyes open, please.” Lizzie begged as if reading her mind, her voice cracking, “If you die, I’m going to kill you.” She tried then, trying to sound intimidating but the worry and sadness in her voice was noticeable even to Hope. Who focused her eyes on Lizzie’s tear-stained face. She tried to raise her hand and touch Lizzie’s face but it fell down half way through its journey, ending up on top of Lizzie’s red blooded- hands. She closed her eyes.

“Please, Hope, open your eyes. You have to stay awake,” she looked around the room as if doing so will make someone show up, “You can’t leave me. Until the bitter end, right?”

With the last bit of strength she had, Hope muttered, “Yeah, bitter end.”

Everything was starting to go blurry around her and Hope realized this must have been when she lost consciousness and ended up wherever it was with the angel.

“You have a choice now.” said Charlotte. They were back in her room, exactly like they’ve left it.

“A choice?”

“Yes. You’re in a state in which you’re not dead but you’re not really alive either.”

“I have to choose between life and death?”

She nodded. Hope thought of her family. Her father, waiting for her to make peace with herself. She thought of her mother and wondered if she had collected enough stories to tell her. She thought of their deaths.

“It’s all my fault.” she said then, “Lizzie almost got hurt because there’s always something coming after me.”

“Your friend is alright. She took that shadow down.”

“She probably had time to read the whole page before that thing appeared. What if she hadn’t?” She clenched her fists at her sides, breathing deeply, “This is my fault. The mythical tribrid freak show.” She ended mockingly.

“Do you really believe that?” the angel asked slowly, with sad eyes. Hope looked away.

“I know it’s true. Every time I do anything, things get worse and worse. Look at Malivore!” she exclaimed, “I tried to fix it and now there’s magical creatures running around everywhere going after me and my friends.”

“Hope-”

“The world would be much better off without me in it.” She heard Lizzie’s _no one is better off without you_ but pushed it in the back of her mind.

“The world would be better without you in it?” Charlotte repeated, looking straight and firmly at Hope’s eyes.

“Yes.”

“Let’s see it, then.”

She clapped her hands twice and everything was white again.

This time, when she woke up, she wasn’t alone.

There were five people around her. All holding a weapon to her head. She jumped back and fell to the ground. When she looked up she took on everyone’s faces and recognized their faces. Landon, Penelope, Kaleb and two more guys she had only seen in passing. Before she could talk the last two grabbed her from the armpits at Penelope’s command and dragged her through the woods until they got to the school. Except that instead of finding bright green grass and clean windows and walls, she found everything almost burned down to the ground.

“What the hell happened here?” she asked and only got scoffs in return.

“As if you wouldn’t know.” Penelope answered with a scorn on her face.

They arrived to the school and they pushed her around, the few people there looked at Hope with distrust and wonder, until they arrived to Alaric’s office. The room was covered in newspapers and wanted posters. He looked tired, was the first thing she thought. He was almost drunk too, she noticed when he looked her in the eyes and his were red and glassy. Yet he pulled himself together.

“Who are you?” he asked.

“I’m ho-” she stopped herself and stood up when she saw one of the papers in the wall. It was her father and Caroline. Two sketches of them and she could read the worlds _Enemies of the State_ on the page. “What happened?” she whispered.

“Klaus Mikaelson lost everything that anchored him to his humanity and so he shut it off two years ago and started a war.” Alaric answered from his chair, “Nothing’s been safe ever since.”

“No. No, that doesn’t make any sense. He-” She couldn’t breathe, “Where- Where’s Lizzie?” she asked between deep breaths.

“How do you know my daughter?” Alaric asked, reaching his bow behind the chair.

“I need to see Lizzie.” She said with tears in her eyes. He looked at her with pity and she knew his answer before he could talk.

“She’s dead.”

Hope ran.

The graveyard was empty and poorly kept. The grass was long and the gravestones were pieces of wood with small engravings. Hope read every single one of them. Some of people she never knew. Some of classmates she’s talked to a few times. And then she reached the last two gravestones, the dirt on them was still dark- no grass had grown on it yet.

 _Josie Saltzman_ and _Lizzie Saltzman._

Her first thought was that Lizzie would hate it. But as soon as the thought came, she fell to her knees.

“Sure the world is better off without you now?”

“Fine, I get it,” she breathed out, “the world is better with me in it because I stop my family from going into a killing rampage.”

The angel said nothing, just looked at her as if expecting more.

“I just- I know my father wasn’t a great man… but turning off his humanity? That’s just-” the words died in her throat.

“Your father became the man he was because of you, Hope.”

She took his gaze from her- she sounded too much like her aunt- and turned to the gravestones. It was too much.

“How did they die?”

“One died in the merge, the other one died out of grief.” She took a deep breath, unsure if she should say her next words, “Your friend saw this world once, in an encounter with a Jinni.” She motioned to Lizzie’s grave, “This world, the one without you in it, was what made her want to go back to normal.”

“How do you know this?”

“Few things pass by the angels, that wasn’t one of them.”

Hope sighed, “If she saw all this, how come she never said anything?”

“She found a loophole to make it all go away, erasing her memories in the process,” the angel smiled, “It was rather smart of her if you ask me.”

“Yeah,” Hope smiled, “sounds like Lizzie.”

“So, have you changed your mind?”

Hope thought for a moment and then shook her head. “No, this means nothing. This is just a parallel universe. Everyone will be fine without me.”

“Let’s see it, then.”

The angel clapped her hands twice and there was light around them again.

Hope was about to ask where they were when she saw the wood columns and stairs around her. They were in New Orleans. The Mikaelson’s house looked more alive than Hope remembered it. She looked around and saw her family moving from one side of the house to the other. Charlotte slowly appeared besides her but she was too captured by the image in front of her to care.

“It’s Christmas.” She said to herself.

She saw Kol and Davina snuggling in one of the couches closest to the bonfire; normally they’d be joking around and laughing in their own world. But Hope noticed her uncle looked tired, Kol- who was always moving and talking- was sitting with his wife’s around him, looking sadly at the fire in front of him. In Davina, Hope could see the gray hairs that weren’t there the last time she her, as well as the small crinkles besides her mouth- probably a cause of the worry she showed towards Kol.

She saw Rebekah and Marcel moving some of the decorations around. Hanging Christmas lights from the bottom to the top of the stairs. It didn’t take long for Hope to realize her aunt wasn't as happy as the smile in her face- it was forced, almost as if it hurt her. Her movements were slow but Hope realized the reason of her fakeness when she saw Freya and Keelin coming through the door with a child behind them- he couldn’t be more than ten or eleven years old.

“Nik,” she whispers, “I don’t- I don’t understand. Where are we?” she asked Charlotte.

“New Orleans, ten years in the future.”

Hope was about to ask something else when one more person came through the threshold and stopped her. It was Lizzie. Her hair was shorter, a bit above her shoulders. She looked calmer, more mature. She had always walked with confidence but the superiority it used to accompany it, was changed for actual self-confidence in herself. Other than that, it didn’t look like ten years had passed at all.

Hope saw Lizzie greet her family with big smiles and warm hugs, and wondered if you could long for something so much as she longed introducing Lizzie to her family herself.

She moved around the room to watched them more closely when she saw Nik ran outside, she followed Lizzie when she heard her telling Freya she’ll go after him.

Nik was sitting in the steps of the stair looking towards the garden; Hope walked down and turned around to see the scene unfold.

“You okay there kid?” Lizzie asked, slowly sitting beside him. She was looking at him with love in her eyes as if she knew him. _As if he was family_ , Hope thought.

“I don’t like the holidays, everyone is always so sad.”

Lizzie sighed, “I know you don’t like them, but you know it’s because they miss Hope.”

“I know,” he said sadly.

“Come on,” Lizzie pushed him with her shoulder, “I promise the present I brought you will cheer you up.”

He smiled slightly but remained with a thoughtful look, “I have a question,” he kept going at Lizzie’s small nod, “Why do you never spend the holidays with your family?”

“Oh,” she answered surprised, “Well… I haven’t seen my family in a long time, I see my sister sometimes though.”

“How come?”

“My father wasn’t very happy when I asked your mom for help. He has a complicated history with the Mikaelsons.”

“Why did you have to ask my momma for help?” He asked curiously and Hope stood closer so not to miss the conversation.

“After Hope’s-” Her voice broke, “my magic went a bit out of control so I had to learn to control it again.”

“But you’re one of the best witches out there!” he exclaimed.

“Oh- I know,” she smirked at him and he smirked in return, “but sometimes, after a great loss we take a couple steps back.”

Nik remained quiet after that, lost in thought. After a few minutes he asked again.

“Does that mean you loved Hope?” The question surprised Hope but Lizzie only smiled sadly at him.

“I did. She never knew that, though.”

“Why not?”

“You have an awful lot of questions today, little sir.” She tickled him, making him let out a laugh. Then she sighed, “I guess I was never brave enough to tell her. We actually hated each other at first.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, but then we became really close.”

“What- what was she like?” he asked unsure.

Lizzie smiled and Hope thought she looked beautiful, “Well, she was smart, beautiful and so so stubborn.” She ended with a scoff, “She’d always help everyone and would always try to play the martyr,” she rolled her eyes then and after a few seconds she said softly, more to herself than to Nik, “I really miss her.”

Hope saw Lizzie wipe away the tear that had fallen with the back of her hand and then everything was white again.

They were back on her room.

“I’m afraid it’s time to choose, Hope.”

“I-,” her voice cracked and she realized she was crying, “Was that real? Is that what’s going to happen?”

“Most likely, yes.” Charlotte answered.

She realized then too, that she wanted that. She wanted her family reunited together for the holidays. But she wanted them with real smiles on their faces. She wanted having to cheer up her baby cousin because he didn’t like the holidays. She wanted to be forced to write her wishes and burn them in the bonfire by her aunt Rebekah. And she wanted, more than anything, to be able to hold Lizzie’s hand while she introduced her to her family.

“Take me back. I still want to live.”

The angel beamed at her.“As you wish.”

She clapped her hands twice and everything was white for the last time.

Hope tried to open her eyes but they felt so heavy she ended up groaning instead.

Almost momentarily there was a hand on her shoulder, “Stay still or you’ll rip out your stitches.”

 _Lizzie_ , she thought. She felt the hand on her shoulder moving to her face to stroke her cheek gently. Then the ghost of soft lips in her forehead before sleep took her once again.

“You’re going to be alright.” She heard Lizzie whisper.

The next time she woke up her heart was beating out of her chest and she knew she had had a nightmare- one which she couldn’t remember. But it must’ve been bad because it made her open her eyes with no trouble and it was then when she noticed she was once again in her room.

This time it was disorganized, there were bandages- some with blood, some clean- all around the bed. Clothes- dirty and clean- were on the floor. But the most out of place thing in the room was Lizzie, awkwardly sleeping in one of the armchairs in her room. Her hair was all around her face and it was so uncharacteristically Lizzie that the image made Hope smile.

“Lizzie?” she murmured, her voice giving out in the end. The blonde didn’t move so she tried again, louder this time, “Lizzie.”

It still was a quiet whisper but Lizzie jumped awake once she heard it. She looked exhausted. There were marks on her face from the couch and dark circles under her eyes. Her clothes were wrinkled and had some food strains on them- as if Lizzie hadn’t changed from them in a few days.

“Hope.” She breathed out.

She tried to answer but a cough came out of her dry throat. That seemed to take Lizzie out of her trance because almost instantly, she was holding a cup in front of her mouth. She took a couple of quick sips and with a gentle shake of her head, she motioned her to take the cup away.

“How are you feeling?” she asked softly, like speaking louder than that will bring more pain to Hope. 

“Like I was stabbed by a giant shadow.”

Lizzie rolled her eyes, “Very funny, you idiot.” 

“How long have I been out?”

“A couple of weeks,” she breathed out slowly, “we thought you wouldn’t make it for a second.”

“You told me you’d kill me if I died, I thought I would save you the trouble of having to bring me back.” Hope smiled.

Lizzie smiled back.

“Can I kiss you?” She asked softly after a few minutes of silence.

Lizzie’s eyes went wide, “What?”

“I mean- I… this thing happened to me while I was unconscious and an angel showed me what would happen when I died and I realized… that I really want to kiss you.”

Hope’s eyes widened when she saw Lizzie leaning forward, her nose slightly brushing against Hope’s. With all the strength she could master she raised her hand and gently placed it on Lizzie’s cheek, pulling her in and in so making their lips brush against each other.

She couldn’t say that she’d never imagined kissing Lizzie before. But this was not what she’d imagined. She’d assumed that Lizzie would kiss with the same fire and determination she did everything else with but she was kissing Hope carefully and softly. Almost unsure. As if kissing her too hard would make the moment disappear and Hope would suddenly break below her. Hope kissed her back with as much fervor as she could, her senses overwhelmed by the woman above her. She only pulled back when her lungs ached and she needed to drink water once again.

“I’m glad you’re okay,” Lizzie murmured, pulling back to look directly into Hope’s eyes. “But if you worry me like that again I _will_ end you, Mikaelson.”

She ended her words with a gentle punch in Hope’s unharmed shoulder and gently pecked her in the lips at Hope’s pained expression.

“Are you okay?” she whispered against her lips, the worry in her voice. “You should rest.”

“Stay with me?” she asked, moving the covers in her bed to the side.

“Always.”

**Author's Note:**

> Very very late christmas present for BoC, thank you for being such chaotic gays


End file.
